Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Perhaps Japan's greatest tourist attractions are the many hot springs, especially open-air baths in the mountains, beautiful countryside, or overlooking the ocean.

Sadly, for many visitors the public baths & hot springs are forbidden. Not because the Japanese officially dislike foreigners, but because hot spring spas, public bathing facilities and even beaches are often off-limits to anyone tattooed.

This means U.S. Ambassador to Japan Caroline Kennedy cannot try these delights (with a butterfly tattoo on her right arm). Japan can't use their onsen for international summit meetings, as Canada's new Prime Minister Justin Trudeau with his Haida raven tattoo will be excluded (along with British PM David Cameron's wife Samantha and her dolphin)

Many Olympic sports stars will disappointingly be shut-out from using hot springs if Japan is allowed to host the 2020 Olympics. (Hosting remains in doubt due to public opposition, lax construction, and atomic radiation hazards).

Sunday, October 18, 2015

But much better this than the Total War brought upon us by belligerent chauvinistic nationalism and the global arms industry.

Since the EU lowered our internal borders, we've saved many millions of hours from national border administrative procedures and associated corruption. We've cut defense spending by hundreds of billions of dollars, while the engines of the USA are still (poorly) propelled by defense expenditures, military employment, etc.

American overseas warfare in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria generated much of this refugee crisis.

Today the story was picked up by the BBC (link): data breaches earlier this year in the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) put America's spy networks at grave risk.

Details of professional intelligence officers were reportedly not kept with the stolen files of regular government employees. Seems smart, but surrendering the details of normal workers highlights who is abnormal.

Of course, the CIA may not be so dumb - in fact creating jackets with false details for essential undercover staff. To withdraw & sacrifice some personnel builds enemy complacency.

Overall, one thing's clear: the enemy's us.
Bureaucrats & politicos will reliably fuck up.
All of us depending on data are at greater risk from their foolishness.

Thursday, October 01, 2015

Nobody thinks twice when rich folk of the Rockefeller clan inherit land & wealth from their grandparents or great-grandparents. Nelson & John D. Rockefeller III and many siblings weren't dispossessed for being half Aldrich and only a quarter Rockefeller. All be rich rich!

But when it's an injun, or Aleut, or Hawaiian, we've learned racist blabber of "blood quantum"

Colonist rich man hijacked our thought process.

Smearing our inheritance, Richie gobbles more.Racist intimidation.

Judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree & it's reckoned stupid lifelong...

Ignorance & envy fuel Tribal genocide -- yes, still today.
You need not open your home to everyone. That's not racism.